The Special Little Girl
by Insainly Sane
Summary: Damon's world is turned upside down when a very special little girl shows up on his door step.
1. Chapter One

_**AN: This is my first story, so please me know what you think &amp;' how I can improve.**_

_**I suppose this story takes place in S5... But, I don't really know.**_

_**It's probably going to be AU.**_

_**Alright.**_

_**Enjoy, bitches.**_

She stepped out of the black SUV and, quickly made her way across the leaf covered yard, the leafs crunching beneath her feet. The windows of the SUV were tinted, so even if she wanted to wave good bye, she couldn't.

Her lip quivered and, body shook with fear as she approached the front door to the mansion. She didn't know why she was there, or what she was doing... All she knew was that she had to do it.

Barely letting her fist touch the door, she knocked gently against the cold wooden frame and, jumped back when it swung open. "What?" A curt voice asked.

She flinched and, averted her eyes. "I uh... I'm exposed to ask for Damon Salvatore."

"That's me. What do you want?" He asked, his voice thick with irritation.

"I don't really know. I just..." She struggled to put into words what she needed to say.

He grabbed onto her arm and, pulled her inside. "Sit down." He snapped, nodding his head in the direction of the couch.

She did as he asked, frightened of what was to come. "Now," He sat down on erect from her on the other couch, "What's your name?"

"Katie." She whispered, twisting her fingers together, mimicking with them the way her stomach felt.

Damon growled, knowing exactly who the damn kid was. "Half vampire... Half human. Right?" He asked.

She nodded, unable to speak.

"Hmm." He mused, standing up and, circling around her. "I know exactly why you're here, Katie." He put extra emphasis on her name, and talked slowly and, deliberately.

"You do?" She choked out.

"Yes." He leaned down so his mouth was next to her ear and, she could smell his minty breath.

Katie squirmed and, attempted to move, but he clamped his hand down on her shoulder, completely putting her at his mercy. "I know Hanna very, very well."

Her curiosity peeked at how he knew her mother, the woman she'd never lay eyes on. "How?" She whispered, wanting desperately for him to give her some space.

"We were..." He paused, not knowing how to phrase what he wanted to say to the young child before him. "Friends." He decided on.

"Oh." She squeaked.

"Oh." He mocked, standing up and, moving so he could look into her eyes, which were a hazy shade of grey.

"You look just like her. Grey eyes. Light brown hair. Tiny frame. Light freckles." He used his fingers to count off the similarities between Hanna and, Katie.

"I never even met her." Katie quietly told him, suddenly feeling somber.

"She's dead." He said, with no trace of sympathy in his voice, it was as if he was telling her what the weather was.

Katie bit her lip, wanting to scream and, cry at this asinine man. "You're very blunt." She mumbled.

He laughed darkly. "You've no idea."

"I've got a few guesses."

He nodded and, took a deep breath. "I know why you're here... Do you?"

She shook her head. "Katherine said you would protect me."

Damon scoffed. "Of course she did." He paused and, muttered under his breath, "Bitch."

"I'm wanted by vampires." She explained. "My blood can cure vampirism."

"I'm well aware of your... gift. He snapped.

"It's not a gift. It's a curse." She muttered, annoyed at the way he made it seem like she had a choice to be the way she was.

"Tell me a little about what you can and, can't do."

Katie shrugged. "I can compel people, sort of. I have to keep a little bit of blood in my system. And, I'm stronger than most eleven year olds."

"Alright. So, you're eleven?" He asked, continuing his questioning, which was making Katie uncomfortable.

"Yep." She answered, popping the 'p.'

He nodded. "There's rules for staying here."

"Funny." She mused. "You don't strike me as a rules type of guy."

He rolled his eyes. "Let me clarify that for you, there's rules for you." He said, emphasizing the 'you.'

"Okay." She replied, drawling the word out.

"I need to know where you are at all times. Don't lie to me, I will find out, and, you will be in trouble. That's it for now. Got it?"

"I'm eleven, not one." She said, annoyed at the fact that he had to know where she was at every single freaking time of the day.

Rolling his eyes, he said, "Whatever you say, little girl."

Katie's cheeks heated up and, he looked down at her lap.

Damon's next statement proved to Katie just how arrogant he was, "Thought so."

She took a deep breath and, glared at him.

Again, he rolled his eyes, which was starting to get on Katie's nerves. "Awe. That's cute, what could you possibly do to me, little girl?" He taunted, crouching down so they were eye level.

That set her off. "My name's not little girl, it's Katie." She snapped.

"You're acting like a little girl." He pointed out. "And, besides that, you are a little girl."

She huffed indignantly. "Whatever."

"If you break any of those rules, you will be in trouble." He warned, his blue eyes imploring into her grey ones.

"What kind of trouble?" She stuttered, her bravery evaporating.

"I grew up in the 1800's." He began, pacing in front of her. "I'll handle you just like they handled naughty children back then. You'll get a spanking."

"W-What?" She spluttered, completely and, utterly embarrassed.

"I don't like repeating my self." He warned her. "But, I'll let you have a free pass, just this once. I said, you'll get a spanking." His voice brooked no room for argument, and, she looked away from him.

"You can't do that." She muttered. "You aren't the boss of me.

"Oh, I am. As long as you're living in my house, I can punish you however I see fit." He explained, his tone derisive.

"I won't let you! Besides, I don't even want to be here!" She exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the couch.

He chuckled. "Cute. Sit down. You don't have a choice in the matter, and, you want to know why?" He asked, leaning down so he could whisper in her ear. "Because, you're a child."

She huffed, but relented for now, she still wasn't going to let him spank her, she'd fight him tooth and, nail before she let him hit her. "Yes 'sir." She was feeling brave again and, her answer was sarcastic.

"Good answer." He praised, not angry at all by her tone, just happy that she had good manners.

"Can I go to bed now?" She asked, suddenly tired from the whole mess she'd been forced into.

"Pick a bed room." He said, shrugging, not really caring.

Katie sighed, and, a ghost of a smile traced across her lips. "Alright. Good night, Damon." She said, hugging him.

"Good night." He said, taken aback by her sudden affection.

She headed up the stairs and, once she was out of hearing distance he picked up his bottle of scotch and, took a long swig. "Great. Thanks a lot Hanna." He muttered, plopping down on the couch.

* * *

_**An: This chapter is shorter and, just an introduction. The story will slowly be revealed as it goes on, and, chapters will be getting longer.**_


	2. Chapter Two

_**AN: Hi, I got a lot of positive feedback &amp;' will be sure to keep going. Thanks to all. :) **_

Katie stirred in her sleep, her little legs kicking and, arms flailing as she dreamt of what her new life would be like.

She'd already decided to try and, stay on Damon's good side, but, it would be harder than it seemed. He'd already proved to be very domineering, and, Katie was used to being around adults such as him.

It was all still surreal to her.

Being that Katie never met her mother, she was placed in foster care as soon as she was of age. She bounced around the system for quite a while.

Who she was staying with for the last two years, had abused her.

One minute, He was beating her and, the next she was in the back of a car.

Honestly, Katherine kidnapping her was a blessing in disguise, anything was better than suffering through the abuse.

Katie's biggest fear was that Damon would do to her what He did... She didn't think she could take anymore of that agony.

Damon finally got into bed some time after midnight.

He couldn't sleep, his thoughts were plagued of Hanna, and, what she did to her daughter.

It was only partially Hanna's fault.

But, it wasn't his... Katie wasn't planned, and, certainly wasn't his.

His small stint with Hanna lasted about two weeks...

Either way, Katie was his responsibility now.

When Katie woke up, sun was shining through the cracks in the blinds and, her eyes were stuck shut by the sleepy gunk.

She sat up and, stretched her arms above her head, and, climbed down off the big bed.

Damon was already awake, and, had been waiting for Katie.

"Hi." She murmured, her socked feet trudging against the hard wood floor.

"Good." He said. "You're up."

She yawned and, eyed him curiously. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yes." He replied, his answer short.

Katie shrugged and, followed him outside to his car. "Where're we going?" She asked.

He didn't answer her and, his grip on the steering wheel tightened, making his knuckles whiten.

Katie sighed and, wrapped her arms around herself, distraught by Damon's coldness.

Damon climbed out of the car and, opened Katie's door so she could do so. "Here." He said, holding his hand out for her to take.

She nodded and, latched her tiny hand around his big hand.

They swiftly crossed across the parking lot and, went into The Grille.

"What is this place?" Katie asked, looking around in awe.

Damon chuckled. "It's called The Grille." He led her over to the bar and, lifted her up to sit on the bar stool next to his.

One thing he noticed about Katie right away, was that she was extremely small for her age, and, looked about ten pounds underweight.

"You're eating something."

Katie rolled her eyes and, kicked her legs back and, forth. "What if I'm not hungry?"

"Too bad." He replied, without remorse.

"You can't make me eat." She mumbled.

"Can't I?" He paused. "Remember what I told you would happen last night if you didn't listen?" He whispered, leaning in closer so his mouth was inches from her ear.

Katie smirked. "You didn't make a rule about eating."

Damon sighed and, used his hand to signal for the bartender. "Bourbon." He snapped, turning his attention back to Katie as he watched his drink being poured into a glass tumbler.

He thought over what to say for a minute, then answered. "I'm not going to argue with you about eating, Katie. You're too small for your age and, look as if you're withering away."

Katie smiled as she realized the bar stools spun around in circles, and, stopped herself by grabbing the bar to answer Damon. "I'll eat a little bit." She said, holding out a hand. "Deal?"

Damon tried not to laugh and, shook her hand. "Deal."

When the bartender brought Damon's drink over, Katie ordered her food. "I want... Hm." She mused, twirling her hair around. "Can I get a salad?"

The bartender nodded and, Katie continued. "No cheese or croutons. Only lettuce, spinach leafs, tomatoes, carrots, and, raspberry walnut dressing."

Damon snorted at how thorough she was, just like Hanna. He waited until the bartender walked away to ask, "Where'd you have that before?"

Katie shrugged. "Mrs. Lisa used to order it from the diner all the time."

"Mrs. Lisa?" He asked, his brows furrowing.

"Mm Hm." Katie mused.

"Who's she?" He implored, wanting to know exactly who Katie was talking about.

"I uh... I lived with Mrs. Lisa and, Mr. John."

Damon noticed how uncomfortable she was talking about her former 'Foster Parents.'

There was something off, something happened to Katie... And, he was going to find out what.

But, before he could ask, the bartender returned with Katie's salad.

"Thanks." She murmured, unfolding her napkin and, placing it in her lap, effectively making Damon choke.

Katie didn't pay attention and, took a bite of her yummy salad. "It's good."

"Good. Maybe you'll eat all of it."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't eat a lot..."

"Why?" He implored, knowing it had something to do with her former living arrangements.

Katie held up a single finger as she swallowed. "Mr. John and, Mrs. Lisa ate out every night... Sometimes I went, but, not usually."

"You didn't want to go?" Damon asked, watching as Katie picked a tomato out of her salad and, popped it into her mouth.

"I didn't really like to be around them."

Damon nodded and, stopped asking questions, knowing she'd only reveal so much at once.

She only finished about half of her salad. "Can I be done?"

He sighed, it was a small salad, but, he didn't want to make her sick by over eating. "Yes."

Katie grinned and, Damon smirked. "Don't get used to it." He teased, standing up and, throwing a twenty dollar bill on the table.

Instead of waiting for Damon to lift her down, Katie jumped off the stool. "Whoa."

"Careful." He admonished, taking her hand in his, like he'd done on the way in.

"Are we going somewhere else?" Katie asked, skipping along with him.

"Mm Hm."

"Where?" Katie asked, excited at the revelation.

"Elena's."

"Who's Elena?" She asked, sliding into the back seat of the car.

Damon shut her door before getting in and, started the ignition. "Elena's a friend of mine. Just to warn you, Elena and, Katherine look alike."

Katie gazed curiously at him in the mirror and, rested her head against the window.

Before she knew it, she was asleep again.

_**An: There was one review that this story was a copy of another one... I've never read the one it was compared too. Just to inform you all, Katie isn't Damon's daughter... That's all I'm saying about it. **_


	3. Chapter Three

_**AN: I didn't expect this many follows! Thanks, babes! Please leave me some feedback. (: **_

_**Oh, this is very important, Elena's house is not burnt down in my story! **_

Damon debated whether or not to wake Katie up.

She could use the sleep, it'd been a tough day and, a half for her.

But, she might wake up and, be scared that she's alone in a car outside of a house she doesn't recognize.

So, he opted to wake her up.

"Katie," He coaxed, trying to be as gentle as he could, "Come on, wake up."

She moaned and, shook her head around. "No."

"Now." He snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Katie's eyes snapped open and, she rubbed them with the back of her hand. "Come on." He said, ushering her out of the car.

Damon took her hand and, led her up to the door, where he didn't bother to knock.

She swayed from foot to foot, and, jumped when she door opened and, out came a woman who looked identical to Katherine.

"Damon?" Elena's eye brows rose as she saw Damon and, Katie on her door step. "Who's this?"

Damon sighed and, gritted his teeth. "This is Katie. I'll tell you about it inside." He ground out, trying to keep his cool.

He didn't want to talk about what he needed to talk about in front of Katie... It would only upset or anger her.

Elena nodded and, opened the door so they could come in.

Katie's eyes wondered from place to place as she took in her new surrounding.

She wondered what she was doing here and, why Damon seemed so angry.

"Katie." He snapped, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Huh?" She asked, blinking her eyes a couple of times.

"I've got to talk to Elena about a few things. Go find something to do." He said, dismissing her.

She huffed, but stalked off to check out the house.

"Let's talk in here." Damon said, moving quickly into the kitchen.

"Alright, stop. Why do you have a little girl? And, who's is she?" Elena demanded, her arms across her chest and, eyes narrowed.

Damon chuckled. "You're just as bad as she is." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, her name is Katie."

"Just... Get on with it." Elena snapped, using his snarky tone against him.

He sighed. "I dated this girl, Hanna, for a while. She really wanted kids, but got turned into a vampire on her nineteenth birthday, stopping her from being able to procreate..." He paused.

"So, Katie is Hanna's?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Damon answered, and, continued on. "She was devastated. That's why I didn't let her stick around for too long," He shrugged, "She was broken and, needy... I was only looking for a good time."

Elena rolled her eyes at Damon's selfishness. "If vampires can't procreate, then how is Katie.-"

Damon cut her off. "Hanna made a deal with a witch... Only, she didn't know that the witch was using 'Expression.' In order for Katie to be born, Hanna had to die." He sighed.

"Oh..." Elena gasped, thinking he was done.

"She was so happy to be pregnant and, on the night she was supposed to conceive Katie, she died."

Elena's heart broke for the poor little girl. "Wait. But, why is she with you?"

"Katie's a cross between a vampire and, a human."

"Wow," Elena murmured, "I didn't know that was..." She trailed off.

"Mm Hm." Damon replied, acting as if he didn't care. "Katie's blood is the cure for vampirism."

"So, she's a target?" Elena asked, worried now about Katie's welfare.

"Yes. Katherine knew Hanna. They were... Friends. She knew about Katie. Who, was being abused by her 'Foster Parents.' Katherine stuck me with her, by dropping her off on my door step in the middle of the night."

"Why would Katherine care about..." Recognition dawned on her. "She didn't want anyone to have access to Katie's blood... She, didn't want to die."

"Now that you know, I need a favor."

"What?"

Damon knew Elena would do whatever she could to help Katie. "I need you to get her some clothes."

Elena nodded. "What size is she?"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "She's probably a size 6/7 or so."

"How old is she?"

"Eleven."

"Did they not feed her, or?" Elena asked, referring to Mrs. Lisa and, Mr. John.

"I didn't get much out of her. I know she was abused, but, I'm not sure how." He answered, really not sure himself, being that Katie had been so vague when he'd asked her about it.

Elena sighed, "I'll drop the clothes off later."

"Thanks," Damon muttered, walking out of the kitchen to find Katie.

"Katie!" He called. "Let's go."

He heard foot steps and, then Katie appeared. "Hold on." She told him, running into the kitchen. "Bye 'Lena."

Damon laughed at Elena's reaction to Katie hugging her, it mirrored his perfectly. "Bye Miss Katie. I'll see you soon." Elena told her, smiling warmly at the little girl.

"Where're we going now?" Katie asked, following Damon out to the car.

"Home."

Katie was fully awake, and, bouncing off the walls. Damon swore if she jumped one more time he'd... But, somehow, he couldn't find himself to yell at her.

It was one thing if she was being a brat. But, Katie was just acting like a normal eleven year old little girl.

He sighed and, thought about how different his life was going to be, with Katie around.

Katie didn't require a lot of attention and, kept herself entertained pretty well.

When they got home, she'd asked for paper to draw on and, a pencil.

She went up to her room and, hummed while doodling on the pad of paper.

Katie might of been independent, but she was stubborn, and, used to being ignored.

The only time Mr. John paid any attention to her, was when he was drunk and, beating her.

Mrs. Lisa would only come home long enough to take Mr. John out to eat.

They didn't really care what Katie did. She was only a source of income for them, as they received a large amount of money each month for taking care of her.

Katie didn't care much either, she didn't mind being alone.

She was alone all her life...

And, Damon was too, for the most part.

Maybe they needed each other more than they thought.

Katie would have a structured life and, Damon would have a responsibility.

_**An: Da, Da, Da. There it is, Katie's story is revealed... Well, partially anyways. Hope you liked the little twist and, I bet you weren't expecting it. This chapter didn't turn out very well, in my opinion, let me know what YOU think. Thanks, bitches. **_


	4. Chapter Four

_**An: Hello my lovely readers, I'm loving the follows/favorites/and, reviews! Keep 'em coming. **_

_**Also, please let me know what you want to happen and, I'll try to fit it in. **_

_**Peace out, babes. **_

He wondered if that was a survival skill she picked up at her Foster Home, making herself scarce so she'd go unnoticed and, hopefully not be the target of Mr. John's rage. It wasn't clear exactly what kind of abuse she entailed and, he wondered if it was just physical or if she was ever sexually molested.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to think about anything else and, thankfully the front door opening pulled him away from his thoughts, "Damon?" Elena called out, walking into the parlor room where he was currently standing.

Relief flooded through him when he saw the many shopping bags in Elena's hands, hopefully he'd never have to take Katie shopping himself. "Where's Katie?" She asked.

"Katie!" Damon yelled, and, she zoomed down the stairs, using her vampire ability of speed.

"What?" She asked, smiling when she noticed Elena.

"Elena brought you some clothes. Look though them and, see if they'll fit." He instructed, and, Elena dropped the bags onto the hardwood floor.

Katie sat down on her knees and, began sorting through the clothes, organizing everything into neat piles by the article of clothing it was. "Thanks 'Lena." Katie said, after she'd sorted all the clothes and, had five nice-neat piles.

"You're welcome."

Damon rolled his eyes and, looked expectantly at Elena, "How much do I owe you?"

"It's my pleasure Damon. Katie's a sweet little girl, and, I don't mind helping out with her."

Katie huffed and, muttered, "'M not a little girl."

Damon scoffed, "Didn't we have this discussion last night?"

She shrugged and, stood up. "Katie?" Elena asked.

"What?"

"How did you manage to get blood at your Foster House?"

Katie cringed, "I'd rather not talk about it... If that's okay." She glanced at Damon and, he nodded.

"You don't have to tell anyone anything that you aren't comfortable with," He managed to say, trying to sound as gentle yet firm as possible.

Relieved, Katie nodded and, her eyes lit up as she remembered something important, "I haven't had any blood this week. Do you have some?"

Damon scoffed. "There's blood bags in the fridge."

Katie ran off to the kitchen to get her weekly dose of blood, and, Elena glared at Damon. "What?" He asked, annoyed at her questioning look.

"You should pay more attention to her. She's never had any sort of guidelines and, pretty much did whatever she wanted. Don't let her spend all her time in her room."

Damon took a big breath in, "She's eleven. I don't need to babysit her every second of every day."

"It's not called babysitting, it's called parenting," Elena explained, glancing to make sure Katie was still in the kitchen.

"Have you heard from Stefan?" Damon asked, changing the subject.

"He's still getting over his new found claustrophobia." Damon replied, as if it wasn't a big deal.

"He spend the summer locked in a safe in the middle of the ocean!" Elena snapped, her voice louder than she wanted it to be.

Katie walked back into the parlor room, holding a blood bag in her right hand and, an apple in her left.

"I found an apple." She announced, making sure Damon didn't mind that she'd helped herself to a piece of fruit, which he didn't, "Who's Stefan?"

Elena awkwardly faked a smile and, said, "Well, I think it's time I get going. Let me know if you need anything. Bye Katie." She called over her shoulder, walking out the door.

Damon didn't answer Katie's question and, started to walk off. "Who's Stefan?" She repeated, following after him.

He groaned, annoyed after his conversation with Elena, "Stefan's my brother." He ground out, grabbing a bottle of scotch and, a glass to pour it in.

Katie continued her questioning, "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Damon answered, getting fed up already with Katie's new found voice box.

He wished she'd go back to her room and, let him have some God damned space. "Don't you have something to draw?"

She rolled her eyes and, shrugged, "I finished my drawing and, I'm bored. Can I go outside?"

Back at Ms. Lisa's and, Mr. John's, she spent a lot of time outside, when she wasn't holed up in her room, and, she missed the fresh air. "Absolutely not."

"Why?" She whined, not understanding why she had to stay inside the rest of the day, even at her hell of a Foster Home she got to go outside.

"Because I said so. And, stop whining." He snapped, losing his patience.

His tone didn't phase Katie as she'd been yelled at pretty much her whole life, "You're a,-"

He cut her off. "Think very carefully before you say anything," He warned, his voice menacing.

Katie flushed and, rocked back and, forth on her heels, mad that she'd been shut down and, not been able to do anything about it. When she didn't say anything, Damon smirked, "Good girl."

"Dick." She mumbled, stomping off and, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. Everything in her life had changed in a matter of three days and, she could hardly keep up with all the new rules and, regulations.

Damon had enough and, swatted her butt three times, "I'd advise you not to get yourself into more trouble than you can handle."

Katie squirmed and, her cheeks were red hot, "Okay," She managed to choke out.

"Good. Look around, you'll find something to do," He suggested, referring to the numerous books and, deck of cards stashed somewhere.

She nodded and, quickly scurried off, wanting to be as far away for Damon as possible, as she'd just seen how much his hand alone hurt her poor butt.

Damon let out a long breath of air and, chucked his glass of bourbon at the fireplace, sinking down onto the plush couch that stood in front of it.

Why'd Katherine have to dump him with a kid... He wished for nothing more than for Stefan to get home.

And, just as he was about to go out and, kill some random human, the front door swung open and, in came Stefan.

"I've never been happier to see you."

"Why?" Stefan asked, taking in Damon's overwhelmed expression.

"Katie!" He hollered.

Trying to be good for the sake of her butt, she slowly came into the parlor and, asked, "What?"

"This is Stefan. Stefan, meet Katie. Hanna's daughter." Damon said, before disappearing and, leaving Stefan alone with the now confused eleven year old.

"Great." Stefan muttered, running a hand through his hair and, thinking about all the ways he was going to kill Damon.

_**An: So, Stefan is stuck with Katie and, Damon's out doing God knows what... Oh wait, I know! Here's a secret; He's trying to find Katherine so he can rip her heart out. Please let me know what to do next, I'm kind of stuck! Otherwise, it may be a while before the next update. Thanks, everyone. (: **_


	5. Chapter Five

**_An_: _Sorry, it's been about a month since my last update! Honestly, I'd post WAY more frequently if I got some nice reviews, I want to know what you think about the story so far and what you want to happen next, NOT 'please update soon.' Please take that into consideration, thanks._**

Katie gazed curiously at Stefan, trying to mentally predetermine his personality, and praying it wasn't like Damon's. "I..." She stuttered, trying to form a coherent sentence, and failing.

Stefan gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm Stefan. Damon mentioned you being Hanna's daughter. Can you tell me a little bit about that?" He asked, trying to see how much information she'd give him.

"I don't really know the entire story, Damon does," Katie explained, plopping down on the couch, "Katherine sent me to Damon, because Damon can protect me."

Intrigued, Stefan asked, "Protect you from what?" He moved around to stand in front of Katie, pouring only enough Scotch for a sip, into a glass.

Twirling her hair around one finger, and getting bored of retelling what little she knew about herself, Katie sighed, "My blood can cure vampires. I'm have a human, and I'm half a vampire."

Stefan downed the sip of Scotch, "Where'd Katherine find you?"

"I don't know," Katie mumbled, bringing her knees to her chest. "Hm," Stefan mused, pretending to think, "I could always call Damon..." He threatened, though he didn't have any intention of calling his brother.

"Foster Care," She mumbled, laying her head down between her knees. Stefan sighed, "Alright," He relented, leaving Katie momentarily alone.

Damon's absence made Katie nervous, and she stayed curled up on the couch for nearly two hours. Stefan checked on her every thirty or so minutes, always given the same mumbled response of, 'I'm okay.'

It didn't seem like much of a big deal at first, but as the end of the second hour loomed, Stefan realized Katie wouldn't get up without being made to, "Katie," He said, "Time to get up. You've been sitting there for almost two hours."

"Nooo," Katie whined, shaking her head, and clasping her fingers together around her knees. Stefan tried to hide his frustration, only deepening his voice a bit to sound firmer, "It's time to get up," He repeated.

Katie remained silent, squeezing her eyes closed, while praying Damon would be back soon, "Please," She whispered.

Just as Stefan ran a hand over his frustrated face, Damon let the door slam behind him as he stalked inside, "Damon!" Katie exclaimed, running to hug him at full-human speed.

Remembering the hug she gave him the night before, Damon lifted Katie into his arms when she reached him. Stefan watched Damon's interaction with Katie in awe, debating whether to laugh or not.

Katie rested her head against Damon's shoulder, relaxing as the nervousness she felt eased away. "Where'd you go?" Stefan asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"To see Katherine." Damon answered, in a heartless sounding tone.

"And?" Stefan asked, making Damon sigh. "And what, Stefan?" He asked, pouring some Bourbon into a glass.

"Is she dead?"

Damon pursed his lips, "Don't you think I would've mentioned that a little sooner?" He scoffed, taking a long drink.

Katie kept quiet, listening to the thump of her own heart beat against Damon's solid chest. "Nooo!" She whined, clasping her fingers tightly together, not wanting out of Damon's strong arms.

"Yes," He muttered, prying apart her tiny fingers, only resulting in Katie's legs tighten around his waist. He sighed, "Katie," He warned, tapping gently on her behind in warning.

She still didn't make a move or sound, "I'm going to start counting, and if I get to three..." He warned in a menacing tone.

"Fine," Katie huffed, trying to now squirm her way out of his arms. Damon laughed, "Now you want down?"

"Yes," She said, drawling out the word.

He let Katie slide down to the ground, making sure she landed on her sock covered feet. "It's time for bed," He announced, giving Stefan a look that meant they'd talk later.

Stefan nodded, relaxing a little, waiting to see how Damon's interaction with Katie changed over the course of ten minutes. "I've been laying down since you left." She pointed out, "How can you expect me to sleep?"

He simply raised one eyebrow, making Katie fidget uncomfortably while looking down at the ground, "Let's try again," He suggested, although it wasn't really optional, "Time for bed."

"Okay," She whispered, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Good girl," He praised, gently sending her towards the stairs with a firm smack on her behind.

"Ow." Katie mumbled, fighting the urge to rub as she flashed up the stairs. "Uh!" She yelled into her pillow, mad that Damon put her to bed, and that there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

How could she possibly have missed him?

He bossed her around like a freaking five year old, and punished her like one too. It wasn't fair. Why'd Katherine have to kidnap her in the first place? Sure, Mr. John beat her sometimes, but at least she could do whatever she wanted, as long as no one noticed her.

She longed to ride her bike down the street and play outside whenever she wanted. She even missed Mr. John and Ms. Lisa.

Two years of living with them, even on the worst days, beat living with Damon. Or, it seemed to at the moment.

Katie flung the pillow across the room, and quietly got out of 'her' bed, tip toeing over to grab a pad of paper off the desk, along with six colorful pens she's found in Stefan's room.

The clock slowly ticked meticulously, and Katie drew a picture of a dream catcher, not realizing it was nearly three o'clock in the morning until Damon swung open the door. "I thought I sent you to bed?" He asked, giving nothing away by the tone of his voice.

"Oh... I,-"

_**An: Do you think Katie's in trouble? I can probably have another chapter posted some time before Friday, most likely Wednesday or Thursday, possibly sooner of later. I'm basing the length between my updates on the amount of reviews I get. Thanks for reading. :)** _


	6. Chapter Six

_**An: Whoa! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :) I loved your reviews! Although, I got a mean guest one saying:**** "you should write because you enjoy it, not to get reviews." If I didn't enjoy writing this story, I wouldn't write it. Reviews are important to any writer, or anyone interested in becoming a writer. You'll never get better without getting opinions on what people did or didn't like. :) **_

"Oh... I,-" Katie stammered, the pad of paper dropped into her lap, and she brought her knees up to her chest securing the pad of paper between them. Three of the pens rolled off the bed, and Katie tightly gathered the other three in her right hand, hiding her head on top of her knees in the process.

Damon watched Katie fidget for a few agonizing seconds, before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "Katie," He said, no anger in his voice, "Look at me."

"Huh Uh," Katie mumbled into her knees while shaking her head.

Damon sighed, not failing to notice her mumbled response, "Now, Katie," He said again, firmer this time, but still not angry.

Slowly, Katie lifted up her head, not daring to say a word. "What are you doing?" He asked, tilting her chin up to see her eyes.

Katie's fear evaporated, and turned back in to the anger she felt earlier, "You didn't say go to sleep."

Standing up with arms crossed over his chest, "Didn't I? I'll remember to be more specific next time," He sneered.

"Have fun with that," Katie quipped.

Damon smirked, nodding, "We'll talk about this in the morning," He decided, picking up the stray pens.

Thoughtfully, Katie shifted to sit with her legs crisscrossed, and placed the other pens on her night stand. "Hm," Damon mused, quickly grabbing the pad of paper off the bed.

"No!" Katie shouted, "Don't look at it!"

Damon took a big breath in, "I'm not going to look at it, Katie," He said, laying it down on the nightstand along with the pens he'd been holding.

Grey eyes followed Damon's every move, "Thank you," She whispered.

"Night Katie," Damon replied, flicking off the light switch while letting the door swing close.

Katie stayed the way she was, "Wow," She whispered, laying back onto the sheets where the pillow should've been... And finally falling asleep.

It was a little after ten o'clock when Katie finally woke up in the morning, and she was hesitant to leave her room after what Damon said last night. But, it was nearing eleven o'clock, and she needed a shower.

Sighing, she climbed out of bed, the bathroom was only a short distance from her room, so it was possible with her vampire speed to reach the bathroom without Damon seeing her. One. Two... She bolted to the bathroom in practically one .

Water bounced off Katie's skin like little beads of fire, as she from foot to foot, singing softly to herself, _"This is the last time I'm asking you this, I'll put your name at the top of my list. This is the last time I'm asking you why, You'd break my heart in the blink of an eye." _

Katie turned the water tap off, wrapping a towel much too big, and wrapping it around her tiny body. She quickly got dressed, and brushed her teeth, before sneaking quietly down the stairs.

Surprisingly, Damon didn't say her name when she walked past the parlor room a little too fast. Breakfast turned into another apple, along with a glass of chocolate milk.

"I see you've came out of hiding," Damon commented, making Katie jump nearly a foot off the ground, thankfully without dropping her apple.

"I wasn't hiding," She murmured, a blush coming onto her cheeks.

Damon scoffed, "Fine," He flashed in front of her, "Ready to talk about last night?"

"Uh," Katie's eyes fixated on Damon's black shoes, "No," She mumbled, hoping he wouldn't press the issue.

"No?" He placed a finger under her chin so their eyes met, "Why's that?"

Katie squirmed, and tried to shift her chin away from his finger, which only made his finger tighter, "I just don't."

"Hm," Damon dropped her chin, and crossed his arms across him chest, "Okay, I'll talk. Why were you awake at three o'clock in the morning?"

She shrugged, biting her lip while rocking back on her heels, "I don't know... I wasn't tired."

"You were out like a light as soon as I closed the door," He pointed out, "I don't think someone who wasn't tired would've passed out like that."

How'd be know that? Katie chewed harder on her bottom lip, "I guess I don't know then," She mumbled, switching from her bottom to top lip.

Damon gave a half smirk, half smile, "Good, I'm glad we've cleared that up. Since I didn't specifically tell you to," He made air quotes around, "Go to sleep," And paused, "You won't be in trouble."

Katie smiled, worry disappearing, "But," Damon continued, making Katie's eyes roll, "That's your last warning. I don't want to put up with a grumpy little girl all day."

Truthfully, Damon didn't want to put up with a little girl all day at all. But... Truthfully, Damon became more fond of Katie by the day.

Katie's blush reappeared, "Okay," She agreed, "What're we doing today?"

"I need to register you at school. You're eleven right?" He asked.

"Yep," Katie replied, thinking about how frustrating it was to have everyone think she was like nine, and she wondered if she'd ever get any taller. "Do I have to go to school?"

Damon scoffed, moving around Katie over to the refrigerator, "Yes. I'm not babysitting you every single day."

Katie's stomped her foot, "I don't need a babysitter!" She exclaimed, hands clenching into fists. He was treating her like a five year old again.

"Well, I think you do," He crouched down to be eye level with her, "And I'm in charge. You know what that means?"

She fidgeted, feeling uncomfortably hot, not answering his question. "It means if I think you need a babysitter, I'll get you a babysitter. Got it?"

Katie chewed even harder on her lip, while nodding.

Damon raised an eyebrow, "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I got it," She ground out, relieved when he stood back up.

"Good. Come on, I need to do a few other things while we're out," He muttered, jingling the keys in one hand.

Katie cheered up at being outside, even if it wasn't for very long, and happily followed Damon to the door.

"Where did Stefan go?" She asked curiously, waiting to watch Damon close the door before walking towards the car.

"Katie, I don't care where Stefan goes. Therefore, I don't know," He answered, starting the car up as Katie buckled her seat belt.

Katie frowned, "I thought Stefan was your brother?"

"He is."

"You don't act like he is," Katie whispered, thinking back to the year she met Maggie.

_**_An:_ This chapter was written instead of my English homework, so I hope you like it, lol. Reviews = Quicker updates. :) **_


	7. Chapter Seven

_**An: You're all awesome, and I suck, sorry! I'm a freshman in high school... 'nuff said. **__**Enjoy! **_

_*** Yes I realize I'm jumping around by using S4 and S5... I don't care. * **_

Katie sighed, and tried to push the thoughts of Maggie out of her mind, she definitely didn't want to think about that, it would only make her cry, and Damon didn't deserve to see her cry, or so she thought. He'd practically flew down the road to the school, and Katie figured he was pushing 90, which she was used too by now from all the different people she'd lived with. Most Foster Parents weren't very good drivers... Not at all.

She drummed her fingers against the banister of the office window, trying to ignore the conversation Damon was having with the secretary, who's name could've been Ms. Denzel, but she wasn't paying much attention so she couldn't sure. Frankly, she was pissed off at Damon for making her ride in the back of the car, all because she'd argued with him once they got outside, and to make matters worse, he swatted her butt three times. The problem with Damon and Katie was the power struggle they were engaging in, and both of them were stubborn as mules.

"When's your birthday?"

The sound of someone talking snapped Katie out of dream land and back into reality, "Mach 3, 2001," she instantly replied, standing on her tip toes to see the who's voice she heard. Her name was in fact, Ms. Denzel, and she was in her early thirties with mousy brown hair, and on her face were peculiar rad glasses that connected to a pearl necklace. She heard fingers clicking against a key board, and sunk back down to her normal height, which frustrated her because she was ten thousand times to short for her age.

The next thing she knew, Damon's hands were on her shoulders and she was being guided outside to the parking lot, "Katie."

"Hm?" She asked, trying not to walk too slow that Damon would run into her, or too fast that he'd pull her back tighter.

"Your middle name," he repeated, "What is it?"

"Oh," Katie murmured, sticking her lip back between her teeth, and trying to think of a way to avoid the question. She hated telling people her so called middle name, even though on her birth certificate she had two first names separated with a hyphen and a capital letter with a period where her middle name should be, then her last name, which wasn't exactly something she knew. "Uhhh."

Before she could answer Damon was opening the car door for her, and she slid in with crossed fingers, praying that she'd be off the hook. Damon got in right after her door was closed. There was a legit reason Katie didn't want Damon to know her middle/other first name, A, he'd probably use it against her by saying it when she was in trouble, and B, she didn't like being called by her full-name, and C, the school probably needed to know.

Chanced were, Damon already knew and just wanted to see if she'd tell him the truth. And that was the problem, Katie knew that if Damon already knew then she'd probably get in trouble for lying.

Finally, Katie sighed, "It's not a middle name. It's part of my first name," she mumbled, "And it's hyphenated... I just go by Katie though."

Damon scoffed, "You still haven't answered my question, Katie."

The gnawing on her lip got harder, and she swore she's bite through it if she didn't stop, "I don't wanna' tell you." There, she'd just be stubborn. Hmph.

The car was quiet for a few minutes, and Katie started to relax into her seat, she had one leg tucked under her butt, and the other balancing on the seat, while one arm rested against the door bar thing that attached the handle to get out, with her head in the palm of her hand, and the other arm just kind of went wherever it wanted.

Damon fought the urge to smile at Katie's melodic little singing voice;_ "She's got a smile and it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memory, and if I stare to long, I wanna' break down and cry. Ooooh, sweet child o' mine." _

"Where'd you hear that song?" He asked.

"Um," Katie paused, and looked thoughtfully out the window, "I used to live with these people who listened to good music."

"Good music?" Damon asked, playing along with Katie's adorable yet odd answer.

"Mm Hm." She mused, "Like Guns n' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi... Oh, and Taylor Swift."

This time, Damon couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Katie threw Taylor Swift in with a bunch of classical rock artists. He sighed, "Stefan went to a Bon Jovi concert."

Katie's face lit up in excitement, "Really?"

"Yep." He replied, popping the 'P.'

The car was quiet again, and Katie thought about how she could tell Damon her middle name without actually telling him her full name, which would be nearly impossible. "Damon, where're we going?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough." He answered, being as vague as possible.

Katie sighed, "Will you tell me if I tell you my middle name?" She asked, smiling mischievously at him while batting her pretty eyelashes.

Like earlier, Damon scoffed. "No. But, I'm still waiting to hear about that middle name."

"Welll," Katie stopped, "You already know what it is," she pointed out, "The school would've known because that's what's on my record or whatever it's called."

Damon's eyes rolled Heavenward, "I'm impressed. Most little girl's wouldn't of thought that much into it." He smirked, watching in the rearview mirror as Katie's cheeks turned red, and her bottom lip crept out instinctively.

"That was mean." Katie mumbled, changing positions to lay down where her head was on the side behind Damon's seat where he couldn't see. "Dick," she muttered under her breath, wanting to see what reaction she'd get.

But, Damon gave no reaction. At least he didn't yet.

The reaction would come later, and so would the question about Katie's middle name being answered.

...

_**_An:_ Let me know what you think! I tried to make this chapter longer, which didn't exactly happen, but I'm really tired due to being up late last night, and just from the usual chaos that life throws my way, lol. I'm gonna' try to update again tomorrow or sometime this week, as long as you; review, review, review. :) **_

_*** Oh, I kind of wasn't sure what to make Katie's name, so let me know any suggestions you have in a review or PM. Thanks. * **_


	8. Chapter Eight

**An**: I had HUGE plans for this chapter but it didn't happen, I still like the beginning though, let me know what you think.

Damon and Katie both were relieved when they reached their destination, Elena's parents' cabin, and Katie wouldn't of cared where they went if it meant she could get out of the car. Katie jumped out of the car and ran towards the dock that looked over the water, "Wow!" She exclaimed, "Where are we?" She asked, running back to Damon, who held his arm out to stop her from running when she reached him, "Heyyy!" She yipped, feeling out of balance.

"We've got to talk about a few... rules." Damon began, catching hold of her arm and crouching down to be eye level with her, "Kay," Katie murmured, still thrilled to be outside again, especially at such a wide open area, and it even had a lake!

She was practically bouncing, and Damon grabbed ahold of her hands, "Jeremy's a hunter," He paused, "Don't ask me what that means," And continued, "I've got to train him to kill vampires, so he can grow his mark, and don't ask what that is either. His friend Matt is coming up too." Damon stopped, just to give Katie a minute to process what he'd said. "Okayyy," Katie replied, trying to free her hands, and failing.

Damon nodded, "If Klaus shows up, shut up. Got it?" Katie chewed on her lip, "I got it. Can you let go of me now?" She pleaded, and Damon sighed, "Get."

Jeremy and Matt showed up shortly after that, and Katie had stopped running to sit with her feet in the water, which Damon would soon be objecting too. "That Katie?" Jeremy asked, glancing over towards the dock.

Damon blew out a breath of air, "Katie, get away from the water!" He called, and Katie asked, "Why?"

Matt and Jeremy laughed, and Damon glared at them, "Because I told you too."

"Hm," Katie mused, kicking her legs so the water lightly splashed her face, "That's not a very good reason," She declared, fighting the urge to laugh. Not even Damon could quell her excitement, Katie really loved to be outside.

Running out of options, and patience, "Katie Rae! I'm giving you the next three..." Damon didn't even get to finish before Katie was running back over to him, "I hate that," She grumbled.

"You're lucky that's all I said," Damon remarked, "Run around the lake once. Since you like to run your mouth so much," He demanded, pointing towards the trail around the lake. And when Katie smirked, Damon added on, "No using your vampire speed either."

Katie huffed, and kicked the dirt a little bit, but started running at the fastest speed she humanly could, and Damon directed his attention to Matt and Jeremy, "Ready?"

Damon watched as Katie angrily ran around the lake, a pout playing on her lips the entire time. When she finished running she dropped to the ground breathing hard, , and trying to get the sweat off her face. He had no doubt she'd get back in the water just to prove a point.

Jeremy and Matt sparred for a long while until Jeremy became irritated, and moved to stand under the trees to get some shade. Matt followed suit, and Damon hadn't noticed because he'd been listening to voicemails of a pleading Elena.

He flipped his cellphone shut after the last voicemail played, Matt and Jeremy were standing in the shade chugging down bottles of cold water, and Katie was splashing around in the water.

And Katie was… Damn it! "Katie." Damon growled.

Katie heard Damon's angry under-his-breath comment, which is exactly why she didn't make a move to get out of the water. Damon's tone of voice was typically a well enough indicator of his current demeanor… And Damon was clearly not pleased with her right now.

Katie peeked up at him through her bangs, trying to devise a plan to stay out of trouble-which she knew wouldn't happen-then bringing her hand to her mouth to bite at her fingernails, something Damon hadn't seen from her before. "Hi."

"Get out of the water Katie." His voice was eerily quiet, and this incident reminded him of the time Elena tricked Alaric into going on a wild-goose-chase for Stefan.

"It was really…uh, I was…" she stammered, not making eye contact.

"Katie, I _don't_ care why you took it upon yourself to get in the water, after I explicitly told you _not_ to. All I care about, is you getting out of the water, _now_."

"Okay…"

**45 minutes later…**

Damon carried a tear stained, flushed faced Katie to his old blue Camaro, trying to agitate the sleeping girl as little as possible. Katie cried herself to sleep-after Damon made her take a shower and put on dry clothes-even _more_ surprising-to Damon anyways-was the fact that Katie _willingly_ let him pick her up, considering her weird aversion to touching. She didn't eat anything, but there was _no_ way in Hell Damon was waking her up, even to eat.

Thank God, Klaus hadn't dropped by, one of the reasons Damon left was that Katie wasn't gonna' be able to tolerate Klaus in her current disposition. The affect Katie had on him was starting to become irritating as it was chipping away at his hard exterior.

Then again, even Stefan without his humanity couldn't resist Katie's sad, hollow, grey puppy-dog eyes. Most of the time Katie didn't even realize she had them, which made it so much harder to be stoic with her.

**An**: Hi, guys! How are ya' doing? I promise you this, I genuinely love this story, and I keep rewriting chapters because they never seem good enough. So, please be patient with me. I've had testing at school the last 2 weeks and have final exams soon… When it's Summer I'll be able to update more. Thanks! J


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: Hey, I told you guys I'd be posting the rest soon! :) Hope this makes up for my months of not updating. PS: I love the way this chapter turned out. Let me know what y'all think! **

The next day found Katie and Damon both much more relaxed; and Katie was especially easy-going compared to her anxiety ridden, busy body. Damon decided it was nerves from not being in trouble for getting in the water yesterday _–which she should've been- _and from embarrassment at falling asleep so early. It wasn't necessarily from falling asleep, but from being carried to the car…and then to bed. Damon _–by the way- _was right about that and Katie didn't like that Damon knew her temperament like that.

She was kind of excited to be going to school tomorrow, but Damon didn't need to know that. It seemed like a long time ago that Damon had signed her up to attend Mystic Middle _–she told Damon she was 11- _when in reality Katie should've technically been in like 4th or 5th grade. She was only barely 10 when Damon and her met; and wouldn't be 11 until the next February 17th.

Strangely enough _–considering she'd went to a vast selection of schools in the past 5 years (starting when she was only 4) - _Katie skipped a grade; which was even worse because of starting so early made her 2 years younger than the other students instead of 1. The coupled with her height, did not make school easy for Katie's welfare.

"I hate school!" Katie shouted, surprising Damon who had never heard Katie raise her voice that high, and angering him about the slammed door. Katie was followed inside by Stefan who gave Damon a look that could only convey: –_she's all yours_-.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Damon called, intercepting the child with a gentle tug on her arm. "Let's get this straight, A) don't slam my doors and B) does throwing a temper-tantrum really seem necessary for this?" He was getting way to good at parenting for his liking…_damn it Katie_!

Katie huffed, blushing and scuffing her shoe against the carpet, "I…not really, sorry, Damon." She mumbled, staring down at her shoes.

"Good. Now, why do you '_hate school_' all of a sudden? You were so excited this morning." He was being slightly sarcastic, -_like he would be if he was talking to Stefan_\- not considering that Katie was a child with a child's temperament…her tears quickly made him reconsider.

Katie sniffled, swiping away at the embarrassing tears. "No! Don't look at me!" She exclaimed, upon Damon trying to tilt her chin up to see her face/eyes. He ignored her, grasping her small hands in his, "Stop."

She stilled, hiccupping on a sob that Damon didn't wasn't expecting. "Let me go, I'm… m-'m crying, my face is gross."

"It's fine, Katie,, just…just calm down enough to tell me why you're crying, okay?" He asked, trying to give her a choice that wasn't actually a choice.

"Please let go of my hands." Katie requested, quieting down in a matter of a minute. She waited until Damon complied, then said, "I hate school, because I, I just do."

Damon's eyes rolled heavenward. "That's the worst excuse, one of the worst excuses I've ever heard. Besides, I want to know why you were crying not why you hate school." His arms instinctively crossed.

Katie scoffed, "You know why I was crying."

"Yes, I forgot that I was talking to a child and not an adult; who wouldn't have been upset by sarcasm."

Despite herself, Katie smiled, "That's the worst apology I've ever heard."

"He's given worse." Stefan added, before heading out the door to go to Elena's.

"Ignore him." Damon instructed, although not really caring because it made Katie happy again, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, 'm okay, thanks." She said, smiling genuinely this time, "Sorry about the door."

"Yeah, whatever- just…don't do it again." He offhandedly replied.

Katie looked thoughtful, and suddenly asked, "Can I have high-heels?"

"Excuse me?" Damon snorted, _was this kid serious_?

"You know," She gestured with her hands, "Caroline has them, the shoes…that make you taller?" She asked, imploring Damon with her eyes –_and thinking about how much of an idiot he was_-.

"Katie." He held up a hand. "I know what they are, okay? I know what they are, which is exactly why you can't have them."

"Why?"

"Because A) they don't make high-heels in your size, B) you're like 11 and 11 year olds don't wear high-heels, and C) there's a reason I call Caroline 'Vampire Barbie' and the way she dresses is part of it. Plus, you aren't dressing like a prostitute on my watch."

"That's…" Katie poked out her lip, pouting momentarily, and then giggling at Damon's last statement. "Katherine's like a prostitute…I think, are prostitutes and sluts the same?"

It was an innocent question, but Damon glared at Katie for her choice of words. "Katie, don't say that word."

Katie's eyebrows furrowed, "Pretty much everyone I know calls Katherine that."

"Yeah." He scoffed, "And I'm pretty sure everyone who calls her that is an adult. Or, at least older than you are, right?"

"That depends. Are we going back to Elena's parent's cabin? Today?"

"You have school tomorrow." Damon pointed out. "And don't you have homework?"

Katie considered lying until Damon raised his eyebrows at her with a look that meant: _I dare you to lie to me_. "Yes, I have homework." She admitted.

Damon smirked, "Good girl." And Katie scowled.

"Go do it. We'll go back this weekend, and what won't we do?" He asked, although it was rhetorical.

Looking away, Katie mumbled, "Not get in the water."

"Right. Go on." He said, pushing her forward with a swat to the behind.

"Don't hit me!" She called, over her shoulder and racing away upstairs to her bedroom. She wouldn't have thought it possible that night Damon opened the door, but Mystic Fall's was starting to feel like home…and Damon was starting to feel like family.

**AN: Well, what'd you think? I hope you like this chapter as much as I do! (I know it's really just a conversation, but it's SUPER important for the story's development.) **


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